US Summer Internship Program

SCHOTT appealed to me in a number of ways. I have always had the desire to work and live abroad, and the company had a well organized and managed internship program available to make that happen. Additionally, SCHOTT is a successful international corporation, and I wanted to learn first hand how business is conducted across different cultures and languages. This was especially apparent in my division, SCHOTT Solar, which had to deal with both governments and customers on almost every continent.

How would you describe the working atmosphere at SCHOTT?

The people in my department are incredibly knowledgeable and hard working, which makes for a really focused and professional atmosphere. Surprisingly, despite their busy schedules they always find the patience and time to help me, which has been really critical to my progress. Equally important, they know to have fun, and a day hasn't gone by where I haven't laughed at work. This balance makes for a really awesome and relaxed environment.

How much responsibility did you hold in your position?

I was entirely responsible for the tasks assigned to me, and once given initial direction, I was left to complete my assignment. Help was always readily available, but it was up to me to take the initiative and seek it out if needed. This independence is something I enjoyed, allowing me to approach and solve challenges in a creative manner.

Are there other additional offers you make use of?

Schott supports a local gym, appropriately named TSV SCHOTT, which is a really nice facility offering a wide variety of sports programs from traditional soccer all the way to American football. It costs very little for employees to become a member, and there are a number of community events held there as well. For example, I recently participated in the 5th annual 'Run for Children' where SCHOTT employees and local organizations came together to raise 150,000 Euro for a variety of charities; it was a great time, and will be one of the best memories of my time here.

What is your advice for new comers?

For future interns, I would say that you should try to experience something new and different every day here. Time goes by incredibly fast, and if you consciously try to exercise an adventurous spirit you will return home with tons of memories and some awesome stories to tell! Also, one of my coworkers once told me that people in Germany work hard, but they know how to play hard too - adopt this attitude and you can't go wrong.

When I applied for an internship at SCHOTT, I was a junior studying Communications and German with a focus in marketing at the University of Michigan. I had been studying German for 7 years and was looking for a way to expand my German speaking skills and to gain experience with an international company in the field of Human Resources. The internship application process went very smoothly and SCHOTT was extremely helpful with answering all of my questions and helping me find a place to live.

What were your projects and tasks during the internship at SCHOTT?

My main project while at SCHOTT was the implementation of an Onboarding Portal. The purpose of the portal is to provide employees who have signed their contract but haven’t started working yet with information about their SCHOTT location, the company in general, and city where they will be working. I designed the layout of the portal and worked with the Marketing department as well as Human Resource departments at the other SCHOTT locations in Germany to collect relevant information for the portal. I was then responsible for organizing and inserting the information into the portal. My other tasks included translations, research, assisting with the Facebook Career Page, and creating presentations. During my internship I also had the opportunity to meet with other people in the Human Resource department to learn about what they do. This was very exciting and helped give me a deeper understanding of the company.

Did you meet the expectations that you had before starting your internship?

Overall I had an amazing experience at SCHOTT. My internship not only helped me gain career perspectives and knowledge about the field of Human Resources, but it also allowed me to establish great friendships and learn about the German culture. SCHOTT is an excellent company, which truly values its employees. SCHOTT offers the opportunity for a challenging and rewarding internship experience, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an internship.